Forgotten: The Sorrow of a pilot
by twistedmic
Summary: Title Change Asuka, after discovering a something about Shinji, tries to discover the secrets of Shinji's dark and painfull past. In the process she grows closer to the boy and the two help each other burry their painfull pasts and enjoy
1. The Dream

Authors Notes: Don't flame me because you don' like the way I portray the characters in this fic. Disclaimer- I do not own Evangelion or any other anime franchises.  
  
Forgotten  
  
Thick, low-hanging black clouds hung in the sky, threatening to split asunder and unleash   
  
their icy cargo in a torrent of rain. A small, frail- looking, four-year old boy ran after a tall,   
  
imposing man who was walking away, not looking back, at a slow even pace.  
  
"No! Daddy, please don't leave me! I'm sorry I was bad! I promise I'll be good, please   
  
don't leave me daddy! Please!" The little boy was sobbing as he ran, the streaks of tears washing   
  
away in the rain that had just started to fall.  
  
The tall, dark, imposing man, ignoring his sons' pleas, continued to walk on, soon becoming   
  
nothing but a phantom barley visible in the shadowy curtain of rain fall that pelted the train station.  
  
Shinji awoke with a start, hot tears coursing down his cheeks. He had been having the same  
  
dream, more like a nightmare, every night for the past two weeks; he didn't even know what had  
  
triggered the dream/memory. He only seemed to suffer from the horrid nightmare near the   
  
anniversary of his mothers' death, or that of his father abandoning him.  
  
Shinji thought it might have been triggered by seeing Asuka talking with Kaji: Shinji knew   
  
that Asuka had a major crush on the pony-tailed man (much similar to the one he had on her) but   
  
could tell that Kaji cared for the feisty German as a father would. HE felt a sharp, bitter pang of   
  
jealousy every time he saw the two of them talking, going shopping or simply sitting and having   
  
dinner together (the same pang he felt whenever he saw Rei talking with his own father).  
  
Each time he squashed the feeling by telling himself he didn't deserve that kind of fatherly   
  
affection (if any at all), that if he wasn't such a horrible person his father wouldn't of left him on   
  
that train station ten years ago. If he had been a better son he wouldn't of been sent to that hellish   
  
orphanage.  
  
Shinji wiped his eyes, removing all traces of his tears (the last thing he needed was for   
  
Asuka to see his tear-stained face and call him a pathetic loser) and gathered his things to take a   
  
shower.  
  
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%  
  
Asuka moaned from low in her throat as she felt her lovers' lips from her jaw to the crook   
  
of her shoulder, where he began to apply subtle suction, enhancing the pleasure. She could feel   
  
his warm hands gently unfastened her skirt and slide the garment down her long, silky smooth   
  
legs.  
The fiery redhead shivered in delight as her lover deftly unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it   
  
from her body, and firmly, yet gently, cupped her satin-encased left breast and squeezed softly.  
  
When she felt him replace his hand on her breast with his mouth, grip her hips firmly and lift   
  
her up, so she could wrap her slender, femininely muscular legs around his waist Asuka threw her  
  
head back and moaned loudly.  
  
"Oh god, don't stop! Please don't stop Shinji! I need you so bad, don't stop!" Asuka cried   
  
out. The feisty German pulled Shinji's lips from her bra-clad chest, quickly unhooked and   
  
removed her bra, and shoved his face back to her now bare breasts. With Shinji firmly   
  
massaging and fondling her buttocks while sucking at her breast Asuka felt an orgasm begin to   
  
blossom.  
  
As her orgasm neared Asuka began to roll her hips against Shinji's trying to speed along her  
  
much desired relief, only to be interrupted by a loud, shrill beeping.  
  
Whimpering in annoyance Asuka threw off her covers, grabbed her chirping alarm clock   
  
and flung it, with all her might across her room into the wall, shattering it and silencing the   
  
annoying piece of machinery.   
Knowing that she could not get back to sleep, Asuka grabbed her clothes for the day and   
  
shuffled over to the bathroom, intent on taking a nice, hot shower and forget the steamy dream   
  
that had been invading her sleep for the past few weeks, ever since the battle with the Eighth   
  
angle (the one that was in the volcano).  
  
Just as Asuka reached for the doorknob the bathroom door swung open and a shirt-less   
  
Shinji stepped from the steam-filled room. Asuka fought back the strong urge to grab the boy   
  
and kiss him vigorously.  
  
"Out of my way Hentai Baka!" Asuka shouted, trying to make up for her starring at her sole  
  
male roommate.  
  
Asuka vaguely heard Shinji mutter, in that quiet, kicked-puppy voice he used oh so often, a   
  
muted "Sorry Asuka."  
  
It pained her greatly whenever she heard that voice, and it pained her even more to know   
  
that she was the cause of it. As the boy walked away Asuka turned to watch him, and saw   
  
something that sickened her greatly. His back was covered in a twisted, gnarled network of pale,   
  
bone-white scars.  
  
"Mien Gott! What the fucking hell happened to him?" Asuka whispered as she looked at her  
  
roommates mutilated back. Asuka made a note to ask Misato if she knew what had happened   
  
to the unusually meek boy.  
  
With her thoughts driven from her highly erotic dream to the cause of Shinji's scars, all   
  
enjoyment Asuka could of taken from her pending shower was dashed.   
  
The hot-tempered German, so caught up in thoughts of who could do something so horrible   
  
to such a sweet and caring person (despite her constant insults and ranting she knew that Shinji   
  
was no pervert, that much was clear when he averted his eyes when her skirt was blown up while  
  
on the deck of 'Over the Rainbow' back when they first met), that she didn't notice the salty tears  
  
that welled up in the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks, only to be dashed away   
  
by the searing, pulsating water of her shower.  
  
Five minutes later, only a third of her usual shower time, Asuka stepped out of the   
  
bathroom, dressed and ready for School.  
  
Authors Notes: Asuka will be the main character in this fic, with a few flash backs (on Shinji's part) of his life before arriving in Tokyo-3 


	2. The Vison

Authors Notes: Here it is, back from the fanfic graveyard, Forgotten chapter 2.

I've finally decided to try and continue this story. I apologize for the long wait; I had lost the original hand written copy of this chapter and subsequently lost interest in writing this story.

My portrayal of Asuka may seem OOC, but I'm going with the idea that the Asuka that we see (or saw) in the Series was just a front that she put up, a façade to hide her real feelings.

"I don't like seeing him look so sad." Asuka whispered as she thought back to the look on Shinji's face  
earlier that day, after the two pilots had been informed of the cross-synch test that had been scheduled for  
them. "What did I say to hurt him so badly?"

Asuka could remember throwing a temper tantrum when she learned she had to synch with Unit-01 while Shinji had to synch with her Unit-02, she could also remember the look of pain and self-loathing that crossed Shinji's face and the way his once bright, deep blue eyes had seemed to grow dull and hollow.

'_Why do I keep hurting him when I hate to see him in pain?'_

"Asuka!" Doctor Ritsuko Akagi barked. "Focus! Your synch-ratio is falling!"

"Yes ma'am." Asuka replied, not feeling like acting outraged as she usually would if corrected or chastised in public, and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on synchronizing her mind with the Biomechanical war machine she was currently inside.

_ 'This feels different than Unit-02'_ She thought as she let her mind join with the Eva.

'_It feels more… alive, like there's someone in here with me. It feels warm, like momma before.'_ Asuka shook her head breaking of that train of thought before she brought back painful memories.

"You are very observant, little Soryu. You are the only one to sense my presence so acutely."

"W-what?" Asuka gasped as her eyes shot open, and she found herself in a pitch-black void. "Where am I?"

"You are in the mindscape of the Eva." Replied a warm female voice.

Suddenly a circle of bright white light appeared around Asuka, and a second one appeared several yards away.

Centered in the second spotlight was a fairly young woman (younger than Misato but older than Lieutenant Ibuki), dressed in an adult-sized woman's plugsuit, identical in design and color scheme to Shinji's.

As she studied the older woman Asuka came to a sudden, startling realization. "You look like Rei!"

"You're very perceptive, little Soryu." The woman said with a warm smile. "Though I can not tell you why. I am here before for a different reason."

"What reason is that ma'am?" Asuka asked, instinctively using the term of respect.

"I am here to help you heal the one whose heart you truly seek."

"What healing does Kaji need?" The younger woman asked, putting up the façade that she showed the rest of the world.

"You may fool most people, little Soryu." The woman said softly, using 'Little Soryu' as a term of endearment as opposed to an insult. "But you and I both know that you do not care for Kaji in that way, and that you truly seek the heart of Shinji Ikari."

Asuka felt a slight blush cross her cheeks. "Okay, so you know I want Shinji. What can I do to help him? How can I heal him?"

"Do you truly wish to help him and heal him, heart mind and soul? Do you truly wish to stop the pain that he feels each and every day, and not abandon him?"

"Yes! I do" Asuka cried. "I want to see him happy! I want to stop his pain! Please tell me how I can help Shinji!"

"I can show you what I have seen of his life. But be warned, the knowledge that you will gain will come at a price, it will change you." The woman said as she slowly walked closer to Asuka. "Are you willing to lose a part of yourself to help Shinji?"

"Yes! I'd risk anything to help him!" Asuka said desperately.

"Very well, little Soryu." The woman said and pulled Asuka into a motherly hug.

Asuka instinctively wrapped her arms around the older woman, letting herself get lost in the feelings of warmth and safety. She barely heard the older woman whisper. "I wish you luck in saving my son."

Scene Break Scene Break Scene Break

_ "What is a child doing here?" Snapped an angry man's voice. "We are not running a day care!"_

_ Asuka found herself standing in a large room, filled with banks of beeping computers and bustling, white-coated adults, and one wall of broad, high windows. Asuka pressed her face and hands against one of the windows and looked into the next room, which held a large purple robot chest deep in a vat of reddish-purple fluid._

_ "I'm sorry, Fyutski, I just wanted to show Shinji the future of mankind." Said a warm female voice, a motherly voice._

_ Asuka looked over her shoulder, to where the woman's voice emanated, and giggled happily then pressed her face to the glass again and smiled broadly_

_ Suddenly a sharp, grating alarm began to blare, and the bustling adults grew more agitated and started yelling back and forth._

_ Asuka couldn't understand what they were yelling, but could sense the panicked, desperate air that the adults gave of and grew fearful her self. "What's happening to mommy? I want mommy! Where's mommy?"_

_ A tall man, clean-shaven and wearing glasses; who Asuka immediately labeled 'Daddy' strode forward and shouted. "Yui!"_

_ "Daddy, where's mommy?" Asuka asked fearfully._

Scene Break Scene Break Scene Break

"Okay Asuka, your test is over." Doctor Akagi's voice jarred Asuka from her vision. "It'll take at least a day to sort through the data we've collected, so no debriefing today. Feel free to head home after you get changed.

Asuka heard herself mumble something to the doctor as she climbed out of the entry plug, though was to distracted to hear what she had said.

'He saw his mother die? He saw her go into the Eva and never come out? Is that why he hates piloting so much?'

The German pilot soon found herself in the woman's locker room showers, standing naked inside of one of the many shower cubicles. She sighed softly as she turned on the water and briefly luxuriated in the feeling of caked-on LCL washing away in the hot spray.

As steam from the shower billowed around her, Asuka suddenly found herself lounging in pleasantly warm water, with a cool washcloth resting on her forehead.

_ 'Misato was right, these springs are relaxing.' Asuka thought, letting her eyes slide closed in pleasure._

_ "Shinji, can you hear me/" Misato's voice rang from behind the tall bamboo divide fence of the Mt. Ashima hot spring resort._

_ Asuka bolted upright, dislodging the washcloth. "Yes ma'am!"_

_ "Would you throw me the body shampoo?" Misato asked._

_ "We ran out of ours." Asuka heard her own voice add._

_ "Sure." She stood up and wadded over to the fence, shampoo bottle in hand. "Here it comes."_

_ "Roger." Replied the other Asuka._

_ Asuka lobbed the bottle, underhanded, over the fence to the two women._

_ "Ouch! Once again she heard the other Asuka's voice carry through the fence. "You idiot! Watch where you're throwing! You suck!"_

_ Asuka felt a stab of shame lance through her at hurting her fellow pilot. "Sorry!"_

_ "Don't hit me in some weird spot!"_

_ "Wow, your skin is so soft and smooth Asuka." Misato's voice floated through the air._

_ "Don't! You're tickling me!"_

_ "How about right here?"_

_ "Don't touch that!"_

_ "Come on, it doesn't wear out." Misato said with a laugh._

_ Asuka felt her body reacting to the images that started running through her mind that were fueled by the conversation she overheard._

_ 'Asuka's right,' She thought as she immersed herself in the water, nearly drowning in the flood of shame and self-hatred. 'I'm nothing but a perverted idiot. I'm disgusting.'_

The hot spring faded away and was replaced by the shower cubicle walls. 'He wasn't supposed to feel bad. It was just a joke, Misato said he'd get a kick out of it.' Asuka felt a wave of regret at ever going along with the joke that Misato had come up with following the defeat of the eight Angel.

'Does he always feel that way when he gets teased about sex? Did I make him feel that way about himself?'

Asuka was so caught up in her thoughts about Shinji that she didn't notice the tears that slid down her cheeks.

Authors Notes: I want to make a note right now; this is not a mind meld fic between Shinji and Asuka. Asuka will not be hearing Shinji's current thoughts. It is a 'memory transfer' story. Yui took all of the memories of Shinji's that she has gleaned over his time piloting, and place them in Asuka's mind. As the story progresses, Asuka will see more and more of Shinji's earlier life. I don't know if the hotsprings were the Mt. Ashima hotsprings or not, but in this story they are.


	3. The Discovery

Authors notes: I decided to change the title to prevent people confusing my story with the (in my opinion) much better written story of the same name by Hououza. Text in italics signifies dreams or visions, normal text signifies normal happenings.

Sorrows of a Pilot Chapter 3

_ Asuka squealed happily as she ran through the shallow wave wash, splashing and giggling as she enjoyed the warm sun on her face and the salty tang in the air._

_ It was her first trip to the beach and she was loving it. She never wanted to leave._

"_Be careful, Shinji." Her mommy said. "Don't go to far."_

_ She turned around and started running back to her mommy and daddy. Before she could reach them a large wave knocked her off her feet and dragged her underwater._

_ She instinctively began thrashing and clawing at the water that surrounded her, trying to reach the surface. Her chest burned for air and her eyes stung from the saltwater._

_ A pair of strong arms pulled her from the surf and held her close._

_ She started to cry and sniffle._

"_Shh, it's okay Shinji." Her daddy said softly. "You're safe, I've got you."_

_ She clung to her daddy tightly and eventually stopped crying. Her daddy kissed her forehead. "See, you're just fine."_

"_Let's go back to the blanket." Her mommy said. "We'll get you a juice-box."_

"_Duice-box!" Asuka replied happily_

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

_ Icy cold rain fell from ominous black clouds in heavy drops and slashed at her face._

"_I'm sorry daddy! I didn't mean to be bad! Don't leave me daddy! I'll be good, I promise! Please don't leave me daddy!"_

_ Tears streamed down her face as her daddy ignored her desperate pleas and continued to walk away. _

"_Stop that damn whining brat." Snarled a harsh looking woman. "Yer comin' with us."_

"_I don't want to go with you. I want my daddy."_

_ The woman slapped her across the face. "Yer 'daddy' doesn't want you anymore. He doesn't care about you anymore."_

_ The woman grabbed her cruelly by the wrist and dragged her towards a black car._

"_Quit draggin' yer damn feet brat! I haven't got all day!"_

_ Asuka whimpered, both in fear and in pain._

"_Stop that fuckin' noise!" The woman snapped, and slapped Asuka across the face._

_ Asuka forced herself to stop crying, fearing more blows to the face._

_ As they neared the car, a short, bald man climbed out of the passenger side door and folded his seat forward. "Get in the damn car." He snarled. HE grabbed Asuka by the shoulder and shoved her into the back seat, then shoved his seat back into place._

_ The woman climbed into the drivers seat, started the car and drove off, Leaving Asuka's suitcase behind._

_ Asuka wanted to call out, beg the woman to stop and get her suitcase, or at least her teddy bear. She hadn't gone to sleep without it since her daddy had given it to her for her third birthday, but feared getting hit too much to make a sound._

_ Asuka dutifully fastened her seatbelt, just like her mommy had shown her, while desperately wishing that she had her teddy bear to hug. _

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

_ Asuka whimpered in pain as she peeled off her shirt, blood from her most recent beating causing the fabric to stick briefly to the ragged edges of the cuts on her back, and dumped it into the sink._

'_It was an accident.' She thought while beginning to try and scrub her shirt clean. 'I didn't mean to wet the bed.'_

The shrill buzzing of her alarm clock woke Asuka from the disturbing visions of Shinji's past.

Asuka quickly gathered her clothes for the day and entered the bathroom

'He deserves so much better than this.' Asuka thought, stepping into the shower once the water was hot enough. 'This city, NERV, EVA, his father, Misato, he doesn't deserve it.

He deserves to spend the rest of his life on some tropical beach, being dotted on by topless native girls. Somewhere far away from this godforsaken country.'

Asuka smiled as an image of Shinji, shirtless, toned and sun-bronzed sipping from a cocoanut cup while enjoying the view of all but naked girls.

'I wouldn't mind living with him on that beach, in a tiny palm frond hut.'

She moaned softly as her thoughts turned steamier than her shower and her left hand drifted below her waist, while her right slid up to cup her breast. "Mmmh Shinji, just a little harder.'

Asuka's fantasy was violently derailed as the shower suddenly ran icy cold.

"God damn it." The German girl spat. "Hot water just had to run out on me today!"

Asuka's bad mood grew worse when, after drying off and dressing, she entered the living room just in time to see Shinji leave the apartment, while Misato sat in the kitchen, clutching a beer and cackling.

Asuka growled under her breath, clenched her fist and glared at the dark haired Major. 'Maybe I can't give Shinji that tropical beach, but at least I can stop Misato's damn teasing.' She stalked over to Misato.

When she was close enough, Asuka slapped the can of beer from Misato's hand and stuck a finger into her face. "Listen you beer-swilling slut! Stop teasing Shinji! It's not funny, it's not nice and it isn't helping him!"

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Don't think you can order me around, _little girl_. I can assign you to twenty-four hour naked synch tests very easily."

"And _I_ can very easily make your past 'hobbies' public knowledge all throughout Tokyo-3, even Japan if I want too.

Stop teasing Shinji, in all possible ways, or I will not only do _that_ I'll make sure you don't taste another drop of beer until the tenth impact. Do you understand me?"

"Fine." Misato huffed. "I'll leave him alone."

"Good." Asuka said before turning on her heel and storming to the front door, where she donned her schoolbag and shoes and left the apartment.

She missed seeing Misato glare."Meanie." 'Damnit! HOw the hell did she find out?'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

Asuka sighed softly as she slowly walked to school. She knew how vindictive Misato could be when she got angry, and had a strong feeling that Misato would be getting vindictive with her. 'As long as she leaves Shinji alone, as long as he doesn't have to deal with her teasing, I can take anything she throws at me.'

Asuka was so engrossed in her thoughts that she failed to notice that she had reached the school and walked all the way to her classroom.

"Good morning Asuka." Hikari said, jolting Asuka from her thoughts.

"Oh, good morning Hikari." Asuka desperately fought down the blush that threatened to consume her cheeks as the memory of one of Shinji's dreams about the Class representative surfaced.

_ Asuka was standing in classroom 2-A gazing out at the blood red setting sun, having just finished cleaning the room.   
_

"_Thank you for helping me, Shinji. You didn't have to." Hikari said, dropping her cleaning cloth onto a desk and walked over to her._

"_It wouldn't be fair to make you clean up alone because Touji and Kensuke ran off.'_

_ Hikari smiled, still coming closer_

_ Asuka felt her breath catch in her throat, and her cheeks grow hot, when she saw the almost hungry, predator-like gleam in Hikari's eyes._

"_You're a nice person Shinji." Hikari said as she caressed Asuka's cheek. "So much nice and more mature than the boys here."_

_ Hikari slid her hand around to the back of Asuka's neck and suddenly kissed her firmly on the mouth._

_ Asuka moaned into Hikari's mouth when she felt the girls tongue slide into her own mouth. Hikari ran one hand up into Asuka's hair, and the other around her waist and pulled Asuka closer._

_ Hikari broke the kiss. "I see you liked that. She whispered huskily and ground her hips against Asuka's, wrenching a pleased groan from both their mouths._

"_How about we get rid of these clothes," Hikari whispered as she un-buttoned Asuka's white over-shirt. "And have some fun."_

_ Asuka felt herself nod._

"Asuka?" Hikari's voice cut through the dream/vision. "Are you okay? You spaced out for a minute."

"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, didn't get enough sleep last night." Asuka sad with a slight blush Her blush deepened when she sat down and felt dampness in the crotch of her panties and on her thighs. She ducked her head, letting her hair hide the redness in her cheeks. 'I didn't know Shinji's memories could effect me like that.'

Asuka looked over to her friend, and saw her through Shinji's eyes. He didn't see her as an up-tight, anal-retentive bitch (the way several other students did) or as the overly studious, quite and cute Class Rep. (the way she herself saw Hikari). Shinji saw her as a kind, gentle, caring, smart and beautiful girl.

'He's got a crush on her.' Asuka thought suddenly, feeling her heart clench and her stomach drop. 'No. Crush is the wrong word. What he feels for her is more than a crush, stronger, deeper. He doesn't love her, yet.'

Asuka turned her gaze to Shinji, who had his shoulders slumped and head bowed. 'If it'll make him happy.' She thought sadly. 'I can stand not having him, being alone, as long as they make each other happy.'

The German pilot barely fought back the tears that filled her eyes once she realized that the best thing for Shinji may not involve a life with her. 'As long as he's happy.' Ran through her mind as she mechanically followed Hikari's 'Stand. Bow. Sit.' Command.

Authors Notes: I have one more chapter hand-written, ready to be typed up, and most of a second. The story most likely won't make it to or past ten chapters.


	4. The Plan

Authors Notes: I'd like to thank everyone that has continued to read this even through my long lack of updates. I'd also like to clear a few things up. While Rei hasn't shown up yet, she will have a part to play in this story. I never specified what the pairings will be, it might be Asuka/Shinji, it might be Shinji/ Hikari it might even be Shinji/Penpen (I already know what the final pairings is, but you readers will not find out until the very end) but regardless of the paring- Asuka will remain close to Shinji and she will help him deal with his past. Finally, it may have seemed weird that Asuka admitted her feelings about Shinji to Yui very easily, but I will be visiting that aspect of the story later on.

Forgotten: Sorrows of a pilot

'I pray that it's worth it; what I'll have to deal with from Misato to stop her from teasing him.' Asuka thought as she watched Shinji out of the corner of her eye. His shoulders were still slightly slumped, and he was staring at his computer screen.

She booted up her instant message program.

""Shinji, wanna hit the mall after school?ASL""

Asuka saw Shinji jerk slightly."" I don't have any moneySI "" He replied

""Don't Worry about money, I'll pay for everything. Ya up for it?ASL""

""I don't want to be a bother.SI""

""You're not a bother Shinji. Besides, you and I both deserve to have some fun.ASL"" Asuka blushed slightly, remembering her reaction to Shinji's fantasy with Hikari.

""Okay. I'll go with youSI""

""Great. Meet me by the flagpole after classes.ASL""

""Okay.SI""

Asuka shut down here chat window and looked over to Shinji again. 'Maybe he'll like some new clothes, or a new SDAT tope. What kind of music does he like? I know he plays the cello, so maybe he likes classical music.'

Asuka sighed and propped hand under her chin. She turned her gaze to Hikari and felt a small smile tug at her lips. 'Maybe I can get her to come with me and Shinji. I know he likes her, but I'll have to find out how she feels about him.'

After a brief internal debate she opened her IM program again and sent a message to Hikari.

""I have to talk to you. Please meet me on the roof for lunch. ALS""

""Is anything wrong?HH""

""No. Nothings wrong. I just need to talk to you about something.ASL""

""Okay. On the roof for lunch.HH""

""Thanks Hikari.ASL""

Asuka shut down her IM program again and leaned back slightly. 'If she likes him the way he likes her, I'll do everything I can to get them together, no matter how much it hurts.'

She let her attention wander from the teachers prattling of Second Impact and the disaster that followed

** SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

_ Asuka was lying on her stomach watching Goji, the small kitten she had found as a stray a few days ago and had smuggled into the orphanage. The small orange and white tiger striped kitten was purring softly as it played with a small rubber bouncy ball._

_ She giggled as the tiny animal rolled onto its back and kicked at the ball with its hind legs. She reached down and scratched the kitten's head with her forefinger. Goji grabbed the finger with his front paws and nibbled and licked at Asuka's fingertip._

_ Asuka giggled again, picked up Goji and kissed him on the head._

"_I love you Goji." She said happily and hugged the cat._

_ The bedroom door burst open and Mr. Benson stormed in with Hoshi following him._

"_What the fuck is that flea-bitten vermin doing in here?" The short bald man bellowed, pointing a trembling finger at Goji._

_ The kitten flattened its ears and hissed at Mr. Benson._

"_Goji doesn't have fleas!" Asuka cried in defense of her new pet and friend. "He's a clean kitty!"_

_ Mr. Benson snatched Goji away from Asuka, wrenched the cats head completely around and flung the corpse across the room. Blood spattered the wall and floor where the body struck. "Now he's a dead 'kitty'!" Benson snarled then slapped Asuka across the face. "Clean that mess up now!"_

_ Mr. Benson spun on his heel and stormed out._

"_That's what you get for touching my toys." Hoshi sneered at Asuka, then turned and left the room as well. _

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

The ringing of the lunch bell school Asuka from her vision, she shudder at the disgusting cruelty that Shinji had to suffer through during his younger life. She rapidly blinked away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

Asuka shook of the depressing thoughts and steeled herself to face Shinji when she collected her lunch.

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

Hikari was waiting on the roof just like she said she would. Asuka took a steadying breath before she walked over to Hikari.

"What did you need to talk about?"

Asuka picked at her lunch for a moment before speaking. "How do you feel about Shinji?"

"Well," Hikari said softly. "I think he's nice, and kinda cute."

"Would you go out with him if you had the chance?"

Hikari blushed slightly. "M-maybe. Why are you asking me?"

"He's lonely," Asuka replied after a long pause. "Very lonely. I can see it in his eyes, the way his shoulders slump when he sees a happy couple together. He's too good a person to be so lonely all the time. He needs someone to spend time with him."

"There's Touji and Kensuke." Hikari pointed out.

Asuka scoffed. "Those two just treat Shinji as a means to and end. Touji just hangs out with him because he thinks he can eventually get a chance to stick his dick in Misato, and Kensuke just wants to get chosen as a pilot. They're not what Shinji needs. HE needs someone to treat him like the most important thing in the world, the way he deserves to be treated."

Hikari studied her friend for a minute . "What about you? You seem to care about Shinji a lot, you could be the person he needs."

"No, I can't" Asuka said sadly. "I'm not good enough for him. Besides, I'm not the one he likes."

"What?"

"Shinji likes you, Hikari. But he's to shy, or to afraid of rejection, to say anything."

"How do you know?" Hikari asked.

"The way he looks at you. It's not the perverted leer Touji gives Misato, or the obsessed stare of a stalker and it's not that stupid look I used to get anytime Kaji was within a mile of me. It's that quick, bashful glance and blush that you see in all of those crappy American teen romantic comedies."

"Oh. But, I don't know how to ask him out." 'You just described the way you look at him sometimes. Do you know that Asuka?'

"Meet me outside by the flagpole after classes, Shinji and I'll be going to the mall. You can come along and hang out with Shinji. Maybe you'll be able to ask him out afterward."

"Okay." Hikari said. 'You're wrong Asuka. You are good enough for Shinji.'

Hikari smiled softly as she watched Asuka walk away. 'Thank you for giving me a chance to be with Shinji, I'll do my best to make him happy.'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

"Hi, Shinji." Hikari said as she and Asuka walked up to the boy.

Shinji looked up and jerked in surprise. "H-hello Miss Horaki, did you need something?" HE asked nervously.

"Hikari's going with us to the mall." Asuka said. "I invited her."

"Oh," Shinji said and lowered his eyes. "I can head back to the apartment if you want."

"Please don't." Hikari said and grabbed his hand. "I'd really like to spend time with you."

Shinji blushed brightly. "I-I'll go with you two."

"Great!" Hikari squeezed Shinji's hand before letting go and smiling brightly. Shinji returned the smile shyly.

'I think I made the right choice. They look like they could be happy together.' Asuka thought.

Asuka hung back as the three teens made their way to the mall, watching Shinji and Hikari walking side by side while talking.

"Really?" Hikari asked with genuine interest. "You like classical music too? Who's your favorite composer?"

"Beethoven." Shinji replied. "And Mozart too."

"My favorite's Bach." Hikari said. "I'd love to be able to play some of it."

Asuka tuned out the rest of the conversation and let her eyes drop slightly and focus on Shinji's butt. 'Looks great.' She thought and licked her lips.

Hikari laughed, presumably at something Shinji had said, jerking Asuka out of her trance. The class rep lightly touched Shinji's shoulder and felt her heart clench. Suddenly she didn't think she could bear seeing the two of them together, knowing that she had given up her chance to be with Shinji.

"I just remembered." Asuka said, caching the attention of her two friends." I can't go to the mall today. I have to talk to Doctor Akagi about something."

"We can go another day." Shinji said.

"No, you to go ahead." Asuka pulled a wad of money from her purse and pressed it into Shinji's hand. "My treat, as promised."

"Before Shinji or Hikari could object, Asuka turned on her heel and walked towards the nearest Geo-Front entrance. Once she was out of sight, Asuka changed directions and returned to the apartment. When she got to the apartment she found a note from Misato saying that she would be pulling an all nighter and would not be back until early the next morning.

"Good. I won't have to deal with Misato just yet." Asuka muttered as she walked into her room and flung herself down onto the bed. She sighed and folded her hands behind her head. 'I hope they're having a good time.'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

'I need to tell him.' Asuka thought as she stared up at her darkened ceiling. 'He needs to know that someone knows what happened to him.' Asuka rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. 'Damn. Only an hour and a half of sleep.'

She groaned and sat up. She had seen another vision of Shinji's past, a montage of vicious beatings, cutting insults and various cruelties at the hands of both the orphanage workers and some of the other orphans and she knew, from experience, that she would not be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

Asuka climbed out of bed and went into the living room to wait for Shinji to return. She flopped down onto the couch and turned on the T.V. Asuka casually flipped through the channels for several minutes before settling on an old, post second impact American sitcom translated into Japanese. 'I'm still amazed they made comedy shows so soon after what happened.'

Asuka let her mind wander as she watched the shows main characters, four brothers, use a giant slingshot, mounted to the roof of their house, to launch various gross and disgusting things into the neighborhood.

'Looks like fun.'

The hiss of the apartment door sliding open drew Asuka's attention to the entrance hall. She swallowed, gathered her courage and stood up. She turned off the T.V. and dropped the remote onto the coffee table.

Shinji had just taken off his shoes and had dropped a couple of plastic shopping bags next to his shoes and was walking into the living room.

"Shinji, we need to talk."


	5. The Talk

Authors Notes: This chapter is where my story takes a small turn, I'll be showing less of Shinji's past, in my mind I've shown the major bad points in his life and focusing on more flashbacks would just be re-wording the same thing over and over (not something that I want to do). From now on I'll be focusing more on Asuka, Shinji and their relationships and such.

Forgotten: Sorrows of a Pilot

Chapter 5

"Talk?" Shinji asked. "About what?"

Asuka took a steadying breath and slowly released it. "It's about Eva." She gestured to the couch. "Come sit over here."

Shinji complied, clearly slightly nervous, and looked down at his feet.

Asuka licked her lips. "Do you remember that cross-synch test we had to take last month?"

Shinji nodded.

"When you were in Unit-02, did you see or feel anything weird, anything unusual?"

"It… it felt like something didn't want me in there, and it was keeping me from synching totally. I felt un-welcomed. And…"

"And, what?" Asuka asked curiously.

Shinji blushed. "The entry plug smelled like your favorite shampoo, Green Apple."

For some reason, knowing that Shinji knew the scent of her shampoo caused Asuka to blush slightly herself.

"I didn't feel anything like that. I felt warm, safe, and welcomed. And I saw something and someone. Right after the test started I was suddenly in this big, black emptiness, that's the only way to describe it. Anyway, I was in this emptiness for less than a minute when this woman, a little younger than Misato and wearing a plug suit, appeared before me. The woman said she was your mother."

Shinji gasped at that revelation.

"We can talk about that later, Shinji. I have more to tell you. This woman, if she was you mother, showed me things about your past. All the times you synched with your Eva allowed the woman inside to see your memories, all of them, and I guess make copies, of a sort, of your memories. I think it's kinda like when you record a T.V. show onto a disc. The woman downloaded, I figure that's the best word for it, your memories into me."

"What are you saying?"

"I know what your past was like, I lived through it in a sense. I felt everything you felt. Every beating, every time you went hungry, or cold. I heard your thoughts, I saw everything you saw."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I needed to. You've been through so much. You had to deal with so much pain and suffering. You didn't deserve any of what happened to you." Asuka caressed Shinji's cheek and smiled warmly. "You're a great, wonderful person."

Shinji pulled away from her and looked away. "No I'm not. I'm a horrible, disgusting person."

Asuka gently turned Shinji's head until he was looking at her. "You're wrong. You are a good person. You're kind, considerate, caring, you respect other people and their privacy."

Tears began filling Shinji's eyes. "If I'm not a bad person then why did my father leave me? Why did he abandon me? Why was I sent to the orphanage? Why won't he ever talk to me?"

Asuka pulled him into a tight hug and let him rest his head on her shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were just a child who lost his mother. Your father is the horrible one. He's the one that just threw you away for no reason. It's his fault that you had to suffer so much, not yours. And if he still can't see how good you've turned out, it makes him even more horrible. He doesn't even deserve your attention." Asuka ran her fingers through Shinji's hair in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

The desperate longing and tentative hope in Shinji's voice made Asuka contemplate the most painful way to deal with Commander Ikari. 'An orally preformed emasculation? An anally preformed tonsillectomy? Or maybe I could tear him apart piece by piece with my EVA.

"Yes, Shinji, I really believe that. And I know that Hikari would feel the same way if she knew about your past."

Shinji tightened his arms around Asuka and broke down into choked sobs.

Asuka held Shinji as he cried, crooning soft words of comfort to him. What seemed like hours later, Shinji's sobs tapered off and Asuka felt him relax while his breathing grew steady and even. 'Finally asleep.'

She sighed happily and settled back into the couch, enjoying the feeling of Shinji's warm breath on her neck. 'I love this feeling.' Asuka closed her eyes and let sleep take her.

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

_ She sighed softly as she stood, shirtless, on her balcony watching and listening to the mild thunderstorm that raged outside. The steady rhythm of rain pattering against the awning and the feeling of rain-cooled air flowing around her was very soothing. A blue-white fork of lightning briefly illuminated the cloud-darkened sky. A soft rumble of thunder followed soon afterward._

"_Enjoying the view?" Asked a warm female voice. "I certainly know I am."_

_ The woman stepped up behind Asuka and slid her arms around Asuka's waist. Asuka shivered at the pleasurable sensation of the woman's breasts pressing against her back. "You look really hot in those shorts, you know that?" The Woman murmured and kissed the side of Asuka's neck._

_ She slid one hand down Asuka's smooth, flat stomach, under the waistband of her shorts and gently rubbed her fingertips against Asuka's mound._

_ Asuka moaned softly and bucked her hips against her lover's soft warm hand._

"_You like that?" Asuka's Lover asked, her voice thick with desire, while she reached up and cupped Asuka's left breast_

"_Y-yes!" Asuka gasped immediately, not wanting to give her lover any reason to stop what she was doing._

"_Good, that means you'll like this even more." Asuka lover whispered as she drove two fingers deep into Asuka and lightly pinched her nipple._

_ Asuka moaned loudly and bucked her hips harder._

"_You're getting nice and wet." The woman murmured into Asuka's ear, causing her to moan again._

_ The woman pulled her hand from Asuka's shorts and lifted it to her face before sniffing her fingers. "You smell absolutely delicious." Asuka hear a soft slurping sound. "And you taste even better."_

_ The woman dipped her hand back into Asuka's shorts. When her fingers were once more coated with Asuka's juices the woman removed them again, this time waving them under Asuka's nose. "Do you want a taste?"_

_ When Asuka didn't immediately respond the woman pulled her hand away and Asuka heard another slurping sound. "All the more for me."_

_ Asuka's lover began nibbling on the side of her neck, then reached a hand down and rubbed the crotch of Asuka's shorts._

_ Asuka whimpered, half in pleasure, half pleading. "Put them back in. Please!" Asuka begged and bucked her hips again._

"_Put what back in where?" The woman asked teasingly._

_ Asuka whimpered again._

"_Be nice, Hikari." Called out a new, male voice. Asuka easily recognized the voice as Shinji's. "Or I'll have to punish you." _

"_A spanking?" Hikari asked hopefully._

"_No toys for a week." Shinji replied sternly._

"_I'll be good." Hikari said quickly and pushed her hand back into Asuka's shorts and easily slid her fingers inside of Asuka._

_ Asuka moaned loudly and bucked her hips hard against Hikari's probing fingers. Acting on impulse, Asuka turned around and kissed Hikari deeply. Both women moaned, and Asuka felt her knees grow weak when Hikari's thumb ran over her clit. Asuka ground her hips against Hikari, tilted her head back and nearly screamed in pleasure as she came, coating Her shorts and Hikari's hands with her juices. _

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

A low moan escaped Asuka's lips as she awoke, still trembling from the after effects of her orgasm. For a brief, disoriented moment, Asuka thought she was still in a penthouse apartment being fingered and kissed by Hikari Horaki, but she soon realized she was lying on the couch in Misato's apartment where she and Shinji had fallen asleep the previous night. Sometime during the night the two teens had shifted positions and they were now spooning, with Shinji behind her. 'I could get used to waking up like this.'

Asuka snuggled back into Shinji's embrace. She smiled happily when she felt Shinji hold her tighter.

She luxuriated in the warmth generated by Shinji's proximity until her attention was drawn to the fact that her panties were nearly soaked with her sexual fluids and that her bladder was quite full and in danger of releasing its contents. Asuka cast off the blanket that was covering the two teens and gently extracted herself from Shinji's arms. She turned around and kissed his cheek. "I don't know about you, but I really doubt that Misato would be happy if I peed on her couch.

Asuka quickly shuffled to the bathroom before she accidentally left a puddle on the floor. After using the toilet, Asuka went over to her room to get a clean pair of underwear. 'Shinji's memories must be effecting me more than I thought. Sure, I think Hikari's cute, and yeah I have checked her out in the showers more than once, but I never had a sex dream about her before.'

Asuka returned to the living room and stood behind the couch, watching Shinji sleep. She reached down and pulled the blanket up around his shoulders, then looked up at the plastic shopping bags on the coffee table. 'I wonder what he got.'

Asuka turned her gaze back to Shinji. Seconds later her eyes widened in shock. 'Wait a minute! Shinji dropped his bags by his shoes, not on the coffee table. And there wasn't any blanket on the back of the couch last night.'

The sound of a throat being cleared directed Asuka's attention to the dinning room. Misato sat at the dinning room table, arms crossed and an eyebrow arched. Asuka calmly walked over to the table and sat down across from Misato.

The two women eyed each other silently for nearly a minute.

"Care to explain why you and Shinji were spooning on the couch?"

"We fell asleep talking." Asuka replied. "Will you stop teasing him?"

"You seem pretty interested in Shinji lately. Finally admitted to yourself how you really feel about him?"

"That doesn't answer my question." Asuka snapped.

"Yes," Misato said after a brief silence. "I will stop teasing Shinji. And, just so you know, you weren't as good at hiding it as you thought you were."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." Misato replied sarcastically. "And the Second impact was just a minor annoyance."

Asuka huffed at Misato and stuck her nose up.

"By the way, thanks for not peeing on my couch. It's a real pain to get cleaned, expensive too."

Asuka blushed slightly and looked down at the table.

"If you, or Shinji, get a kick out of it." Misato continued while giving Asuka a smile she reserved for teasing occasions. "Feel free to pee in you bed all you want, as long as you clean up afterward. I suggest that you use a rubber or plastic sheet under your regular sheets to make things easier."

Asuka's blush deepened and continued to stare at the table top, embarrassed by Misato giving her permission, and advice how, to wet her bed, as well as the fact that she knew she might very well wet her bed (or herself) if someone she truly loved, body mind and soul, asked her to.

"Leave me alone." Asuka grumbled sulkily.

"I can pick up a plastic sheet for you today if you want."

"I'm going to start breakfast!" Asuka yelped and dashed into the kitchen.

"Throw me a beer, would ya?" Misato called. 'It's gonna be fun teasing her. More fun than with Shinji.'

Asuka yanked open the refrigerator, snatched out a can of beer and flung it at her guardians' head. Disappointingly, for Asuka at least, Misato plucked the can from the air and set it on the table in front of her. "Nice throw Asuka."

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

Rei stood on the main catwalk of the Eva cages, looking up at the eyes of Unit-01. As Rei watched, the eyes flashed. She cocked her head to the side, as if she was listening to some faint noise. She nodded silently, still watching the eyes. They flashed again, and again Rei cocked her head then nodded.

The eyes flashed once more, then Rei nodded one more time. "I will speak with you about their future again soon, my daughter."

Authors Notes: And so Rei makes her first appearance. Hope ya'll liked it.


	6. The Angel

Forgotten: Sorrows of a Pilot

Chapter six

"This cannot be allowed to happen." Gendo Ikari growled as he balled up the surveillance report on the Third Child. "I have worked far to long and hard to have my plans ruined by a stupid little girl!"

Gendo slammed his fist down on his desk and glared at the small pile of black and white photographs featuring the Third Child and one of the Child Potentials, a girl with pig-tailed hair and freckles. Both the Third Child and the girl were smiling.

Gendo growled again and swept the photographs to the floor. He angrily punched the intercom 'call' button connected to Fuyutsuki's office. "Kozo! Get in here now!"

"Right away sir."

The Supreme Commander of NERV flung himself down into his chair and seethed, desperately wishing for a person to shoot or, baring that, a puppy to kick; a cute puppy with floppy ears. 'The Second Child is to blame for this. When her time comes I will make that bitch pay!'

When the Sub-Commander entered the office Gendo looked up from his desk.

"What do you need?" Kozo asked.

"Suzuhara is no longer a viable Pilot Candidate. Strike his name from all data banks and destroy his Core."

"Who is to be his replacement?"

"The Horaki girl. Contact Marduk and make the changes immediately."

Kozo bowed formally and left to complete his task.

Gendo settled back in his chair. 'Let's see how happy he is when he crushes that little girl with his own hands.' He laced his fingers and propped his elbows on his desk. 'Now if only I could find a puppy.'

SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE

'He's not slouching as much as yesterday.' Asuka thought as she watched Shinji walk onto the school grounds. 'I think our talk last night helped him.'

The second Shinji walked through the School's main gates, Touji and Kensuke, dubbed the idiot duo by most of the female population of the school, spotted Shinji and began weaving their way through the gathered students to get to their friend.

"Do you feel up to talking to them right now?" Asuka asked while nodding towards the approaching Touji and Kensuke.

"No. Not yet." Shinji replied softly.

"Do you want me to get them to back off for a bit?"

"Just don't hurt them, please."

"I won't hurt them _physically_." Asuka said truthfully. "That's the most I can promise."

"That's good enough, I guess."

Asuka grinned as Touji and Kensuke came closer. Asuka stepped forward to direct their attention away from Shinji.

"He doesn't want to be bothered today, leave him alone."

Touji glared and balled his fists. "Don't tell me what to do, Devil."

"Camera boy isn't the only one who knows how to hack, you know." Asuka said darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Touji demanded.

"Nothing. But I do suggest that you don't use your name as the password to your porn files."

Touji paled slightly.

"And I'm sure Section-2 would be very interested in some of the files I've found. Pictures of certain equipment that they believe classified." Kensuke gulped

"I don't believe you." Touji said, though the slight waver in his voice suggested otherwise.

"Maybe I should ask Mayuki and Sakura what they think of your little 'video project'. They'll probably love to know about it."

"I just remembered!" Touji cried while grabbing Kensuke's arm. "Ken and I have something to take care of. Talk to ya later Shin!" HE turned tail and ran, dragging Kensuke behind him.

"Do you really know how to hack?" Shinji asked once his friends had disappeared.

Asuka laughed. "No. I don't. That was a bluff. A well educated bluff, but a bluff all the same. You and I both know how obsessed Kensuke is with anything EVA. Touji doesn't seem smart enough to use anything other than his name as a password. And I know some of the older girls have caught those two trying to record them changing."

"Oh. That was really smart to think of that." Shinji said.

Asuka felt her heart warm at the honest, heartfelt praise from Shinji. "Thanks. We'd better get to class now. We don't want to be late."

Shinji nodded and followed Asuka inside.

'It feels good to hear real praise.' Asuka thought. 'And Shinji always gives real braise, not false words meant only to pacify.'

"Good morning, Asuka." Hikari said, shaking Asuka from her thoughts.

"Good morning, Hikari." Asuka replied and looked at her friend. Her eyes were almost magnetically drawn to Hikari's lips. 'I wonder if they feel the same as in my dream.'

Asuka valiantly fought back the blush that threatened to consume her face as images and feelings from her first girl-centered sex dream rushed to the front of her mind.

"So, what'd you two do after I left?"

"Not much. First we went to the arcade. Did you know that he's really good at racing games? I thought I was good but he beat me every single time we raced."

"Where'd you go after the arcade?"

"We stopped by one of the book stores, spent some time browsing and got a few books each. Then we went to a music store that still sold SDAT tapes."

"Did you get anything there?"

"Shinji bought some new tapes and sheet music. He plays the Cello, did you know that?"

Asuka shook her head. "No, I didn't."

"He says he's not very good, but agreed to let me listen to him play some day. After the music store we went to a clothing store."

Asuka grinned. "Did you model any swimwear or lingerie for him?"

Hikari blushed, but before she could reply the teacher walked in.

Asuka and Hikari quickly took their seats and Hikari preformed her Class Representative duties."

Once the teacher began his usual Second-Impact lecture, Hikari booted up her message system.

To continue our conversation, no. I did not do any 'modeling' for Shinji. That's not something I'd do on a first date.HH

On what date would you consider 'modeling'?ALS

I'm not telling.HH

Asuka smiled. So what did you do at the clothing store?ALS

We just browsed through novelty shirts. I couldn't convince him to buy anything though.HH

You really like Shinji, don't you?ALS

Yes. I do. Thank you for giving me the chance to be with him.HH

That's what friends are for.ALS

I'm serious, I can't thank you enough for letting me be with Shinji, even with how you feel about him.HH

Damn! How did you know?ALS

You're not as subtle as you think you are. I could see how you felt just two months after you got here. I doubt that any of the boys, or Shinji, have know, and they won't find out from me.HH

Thank you, Hikari.ASL

Asuka closed down her chat window and stared at her laptop screen. 'Am I really that bad at hiding my feelings? And how many know?'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

'I can no longer assist Rokubungi.' Rei thought as she watched her fellow pilots in the reflection of one of the room's windows. 'He has perverted Ikari's plans. His designs will lead to the ruination of my children. They must not come to fruition.'

Rei focused her gaze on Asuka, who was gazing at Hikari covertly (to everyone but Rei).

'She is the key to Ikari's plans.'

Rei turned her gaze to Shinji, then Hikari. 'Soon my children, you will be free from the pain of loneliness. I will sure to that.'

Rei suddenly perked up and looked through the window. 'The twelfth of Adam's offspring approaches.'

She stood up the exact second that all three of the pilots cell phones rang. Rei picked up hers and pressed the 'Talk' button.

"An Angel has appeared. Major Katsuragi is en route to pick up the Pilots. Be outside." A NERV technician said.

"Understood." Rei hung up her phone. "Major Katsuragi is on her way." She announced to her fellow pilots.

As the Children left the classroom, the Angel Alert sirens began to blare

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

"It's just sitting there." Asuka observed as she watched the black and white striped sphere hovering above Tokyo-3. "Why isn't it attacking?"

"Unknown." Misato said. "Advance on target as ordered."

"Without knowing what it's capable of? That's idiotic!"

"Don't talk back!" Misato snapped. "Advance on target now!"

Asuka snarled and cut off the comm. Channel to the bridge. 'Damn bitch. She wouldn't be so quick to bark orders if she were out here.'

A message window popped up to Asuka's right. "Pilot Soryu," Rei said. "I lack confidence in Major Katsuragi's plan. I feel that harm may come to Pilot Ikari if we follow through with our given orders."

"Why are you telling me this, Ayanami?"

"I have promised to protect Ikari. Allowing harm to come to him through inaction or poor planning will break that promise. I believe that we can prevent harm from Ikari if we disregard Major Katsuragi's plan."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Spread your AT field to full and advise Ikari to do the same. I will attack the Angel myself."

Asuka nodded to Rei, then closed the window. She then opened a message window to Unit-01.

"Hey Shinji, I've got a bad feeling about this. Hold up a minute and spread your AT field to full."

"Okay, if you think that's a good idea."

"I do." Asuka replied.

When both she and Shinji had spread their fields, Asuka heard two sharp cracks of gunfire. The black and white sphere disappeared as Rei's rounds passed through it.

A jet-black shadow suddenly appeared beneath the Angel and began spreading out across the city. The shadow spread nearly half a mile in diameter before stopping, mere feet away from Unit-02 and inches away from Unit-01. The buildings inside the shadow began to sink into the ground.

"What the fuck?" Asuka cried, jumping back away from the edge of the shadow. "What the fuck is going on Misato?" She snapped after re-activating the comm. Window to the bridge.

"We don't know. Al that we do know is that the shadow _is_ the Angel."

"Then what the fucking hell was that thing in the sky?"

"We believe that what we originally deemed the Angel, was actually the Angel's shadow." Misato replied.

'Thank God we broke orders, or Shinji would have been trapped inside that thing, I could have been trapped.

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

"This is not in the Scenario." Gendo seethed. 'The sniveling coward should have been taken captive by the twelfth.' He sighed heavily then picked up a camouflaged built-in desk phone. HE punched in a brief code before lifting the phone to his ear.

"The scenario has been altered. Move up the air-strike."

"This is most unpleasant."

"I will deal with the problem on my own."

"See that you do. Failure will not be tolerated."

Gendo slammed the phone down. 'Decrepit old fools.'

"What progress has been made regarding the sacrifice?"

"The Horaki core has been removed from cold storage. The girl will be contacted following the destruction of the current Angel. Unit-03 will be shipped within the month." Fuyutsuki replied.

"Very good. The scenario is still feasible. Killing that girl with his own hand will crush the Third Child's resistance. You are dismissed."

Kozo turned on his heel and left the office. 'You do not even use your own son's name. Have you truly lost your soul, Gendo Ikari?'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

Asuka gazed out over the expanse of the 'Shadow Angel' as she called it. 'I almost lost Shinji. Hikari almost lost Shinji too.' Asuka sent a message prompt to Unit-00.

"What do you need Pilot Soryu?"

"Thank you for saving Shinji from the Angel. I don't know what I'd have done if he had been –"

"No thanks is necessary." Rei interrupted.

"Necessary or not, I'm still thanking you."

"The air-strike will commence in ninety seconds. Spread AT fields to full and brace for impact." Misato ordered over the tac-comm.

Asuka looked up into the sky and saw the glittering specks of approaching bombers. 'This should be one hell of a fireworks show.'

**SCENECHANGESCENECHANGESCENECHANGE**

"Thank you for letting me know, Asuka." Hikari said and hung up her phone.

"Talking to your girlfriend?" Kodama Horaki, Hikari's eldest sister, asked from the living room couch.

Hikari blushed. "No. Not my girlfriend. It was a friend from school letting me know that she and another friend hadn't been hurt in the Angel attack today.

"Oh." Kodama paused. "If they where friends from school, then wouldn't they have been in the school shelters?"

"They weren't at school when the Angel attacked."

Kodama was silent for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization. "They're pilots, aren't they? Your friends I mean."

"How did you-"

Kodama cut her sister off. "I'm just as smart as you are, 'Kari, I just didn't apply myself at school like you do."

"Yes, my friends are pilots, if you must know." Hikari said.

"Isn't Asuka that red head with the great legs that you've got a crush on?"

Hikari blushed so hard she thought her face was going to explode. "Is Kago coming over tonight?"

"I can see that you're trying to change the subject, Kari." Kodama said with a smile. "But I'm feeling generous today and I'll let it pass. No, she won't be coming over tonight. She picked up an extra shift at work. She wanted to get an extra day off for our anniversary next week."

Hikari opened her mouth to reply but the ringing of the doorbell interrupted her from speaking. "I'll get it."

She quickly walked over to the front door and opened it.

A grey-eyed blonde woman was standing on the porch. Two men, in dark suits and black sunglasses stood behind her.

Hikari suddenly felt deeply nervous, and not just because of the intimidatingly tall men.

"Miss Horaki," The blonde said. "We are from NERV. We need to speak with you.


End file.
